On New Year's Day we woke the kids up super early and headed to the airport for two quick flights to Myrtle Beach, SC. My parents have retired and purchased a house near, but not on, the beach just outside of Myrtle Beach. This was to be our holiday visit to them. As it so happens, we brought the ridiculously cold weather with us, though we avoided the terrible negative temperatures in Michigan.
It was supposed to be a fairly quick trip. Fly down on Monday, return Friday. With the storms all along the east coast, and a connection in Newark, NJ, we ended up not getting home until very late Tuesday, 4 days after our original return. Third time was the charm, apparently, and all it took was a sacrifice of a water bottle to the Myrtle Beach Airport and the purchase of another carry on to hold all of our shit.
Ah, life with kids.
Despite all that, it was a nice trip to see my parents. I will agree with my husband though, from now on if we can't get a direct flight there and back, we're just going to drive.
Super early in the morning travelers.
Landed in Newark with views of NYC
The landing approach for Myrtle Beach takes you out over the Atlantic and then you come in straight at the land and over the beach.
Beach! No one was there, because it was ridiculously cold for SC.
Kaylee helped to set the dinner table.
My brother and his girlfriend visited for present exchanging. The girls had a blast with them!
Jan 2
There's a pond in my parent's development and lots of birds gather there.
Hazel took advantage of all the cuddles and my parents were more than happy to oblige. You can see the painting I made for my mom on the mantle.
We went to Brook Green Garden. They had a dinosaur exhibit and a playground type area. It was super cold.
Hazel was tired.
I kinda want to build something like this for the girls in the backyard
They had a 'animals of the plantation' nature zoo. Hazel liked the "Gwons". They also had a native animal exhibits trail that we walked.
Kaylee insisted on pictures with all the animal sculptures
The cypress swamp native bird aviary
River Otters
The alligator exhibit. The alligators were hibernating, as we all thought would be good to do. You can see how the water froze at high tide and then the ice drapes down the bank as the tide recedes. Yay tidal swamps!
Kaylee wanted to push Hazel in the stroller
Hazel was not so sure about this development
One half of a sculpture, I thought it looked like Hazel
We also went to the beach. Hazel snoozed in the car with my dad.
SO COLD
We hunted for sea shells and shark teeth anyway.
Found no shark teeth, but lots of shells
Jan 3
The weather was cruddy this day, so we hunkered down at the house.
SNOW, WTF
Kaylee snuggled with my Dad.
The snowfall that shut everything down, LOLOLOLOLOL
Nana breaks rules
Since we weren't scared of the roads (which were icy since SC really didn't have salt...) we decided to go to Ripley's Aquarium at Broadway on the Beach. We had the tourist attraction practically to ourselves. It was very pleasant! I highly recommend going when no one else will go. Also... pirahna!
Touch tank with sharks and horseshoe crabs
Stingrays above us
Me: Oh, this looks achingly familiar (Sign: Pacific Coast reef)
Me: KNEW IT
Sea Dragon
Kaylee watching the Sea Horses
There is a people mover that goes all through this exhibit. It was turned off because of the lack of crowds
Upside down jellyfish
Jellyfish touch tank!
Bad to touch, BAD
There was also a climbing place in the aquarium that the kids had fun with. Hazel didn't realize you could go all the way up until Kaylee did it, and then Kaylee had to help her up the chain. She had a blast, but was just a bit too tiny to get up solo.
Jan 5 - Original Departure Date
The weather started to improve as we got ready to leave
"Our plane"
Tired Hazel on my back. We had checked in, sent the bags back, all with trepidation because we knew that our flight was already delayed. Eventually it was delayed so much we were going to miss our connection in Newark to Detroit. We told the gate agent to move us. We'd rather get stuck here where we had a place to stay, than in Newark for an unknown period of time.
They told us the next available pair of flights that could get us home to Detroit was on Monday. We took it and made arrangements with work and the barn sitter.
The girls had fun in the bath that night.
We went back to the beach, this time to Huntington State Park Beach and brought sand toys. It was only a little warmer than the first beach trip
It was very pretty, however
Looking south
Looking north
Hazel started to figure out the wave pattern and put her investigative skills to work
But mostly she hung out with Eric
Kaylee got to digging
We hunkered down between the sand dunes, which blocked the wind and with the sun, actually felt somewhat warm.
But then Kaylee went to wash off a beach toy in the water and threw it in, realizing last minute that she couldn't get it back... So I threw off my shoes and socks, rolled the pants up and splashed in to retrieve it, as it seemed Kaylee was ready to go in after the toy fully dressed and the waves weren't tiny. The water was about as cold as I expected (and I've gone for a polar bear plunge in Puget Sound in December), the sand was cool underfoot, the wooden boardwalk was warm, and the concrete was the worst part of the whole thing.
See? Toes and snow. Toes and snow.
Tidal marsh
Kaylee and Nana made cookies
Kaylee did ALL the decorating
Dinosaur footprint cookies
Plus some frosted ones.
Jan 7
Through the night Hazel got sick. She threw up several times and was just not feeling well. So the morning was spent watching Moana (Hazel's favorite)
Poor, sick, tired kiddo
While Hazel napped, Mom and I took Kaylee to the local elementary school to play on their playground. Kaylee had a blast in the sunshine
We met Scott and Erin at the marshwalk for dinner.
Family!
Jan 8 - Rescheduled Return, Attempt 2
We packed our stuff up and headed to the airport. We were about to send our checked bag back when the gate agents told us that our tickets didn't match the system. The tickets said the 8th, the system said the 9th. It was then we got the text message that we were rebooked to the 9th as Air Traffic Control had canceled our flight to Detroit.
Back to my parent's house we went!
The weather was significantly warmer and Hazel found mud to play in
And water.
We all watched Jurassic Park, some with trepidation.
Jan 9 - Third time's the charm, Rescheduled Departure 2, Attempt to leave 3
We packed up again while my parents distracted the kids with EVEN WARMER outdoor weather
This time, despite delays, we got on a plane.
Hazel even slept for the majority of the first flight, despite EVERYONE stopping right by us to make ridiculous amounts of noise. Sure, scoop ice right by my head. Sure, ask the WHOLE row very loudly what we'd like to drink, I'm sure the rest of the passengers would like it if this kid wakes up.
Happier having slept
Passing time in Newark as our flight to Detroit gets delayed more and more
Finally on the plane!
And finally back in Michigan.
We got back to the house very late at night and we all crashed in our beds, very thankful to be home. I enjoy seeing my family, it was a bit too long of a trip, but it was good over all.
Now I'm just glad to have more than three outfits to choose from every day.
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